22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Con woke up and looked to Tornei, thinking her to still be asleep. To his surprise though, she was awake and staring up at the sky.

'People think Griffins are the gods, you know.' she said, still looking up at the sky. Con followed her gaze and saw the silhouette of the said creature fly across the sky. 'Well, they don't like it when Half-breed birds fly in the sky.' said Con in a matter-of-fact way.

Tornei turned to her side then. 'You don't think everything that's happened is a sin because of us, do you?' she asked in a little voice.

Con turned his head. 'What do you mean?'

'Well...the war and me getting taken, you don't think it's because of us. Because of what we've done...'

'No, I don't. The war started because everyone got sick of Half-breeds being in control. Anyway, it was the Dwarves who started it, not us.'

'I suppose...' muttered Tornei.

'Come on,' Con stood up. 'If we cross the boarder, we'll be able to get a boat from Orshore.'

For the rest of the day they continued walking. They crossed the boarder and made their way to the boat port.

'Do you think they'll give us a boat?' asked Tornei as they walked over to a pig.

'One way to find out. Excuse me!' Con shouted. The pig looked over. 'I was wondering if you had a boat spare that was going to Berkeville?' asked Con, walking over.

'Ten eagle-bronze.' said the pig.

'You see, the thing is, we kind'a spent all our money so we haven't got any left.' lied Con.

'Ten eagles or you can walk.' said the pig in a tone that sounded final.

'Please,' asked Tornei, coming over. 'We have three little cubs at home and they only get fed them we're around.'

'So you live in some hole in Berkeville?' asked the pig, generally sounding like he cared.

'Yes.' said Con, mentally thanking the pig for giving him an idea.

The pig looked at Tornei's hand. 'Expensive ring for a peasant wolf.' he said, looking back at Tornei.

Tornei looked down at the ring and started pulling it of. 'I'll give it to you- for free- if we can have a boat.' she said, holding it out to the pig.

I gave her that.

'Is it real?' asked the pig, as he took the ring.

'Full emerald. Look yourself if you want.'

The pig looked carefully at it for a few minutes, then asked: 'There'd you get it? Judging by your clothes, you didn't buy it.'

'I found it. In the sea. When we went to Elflees.'

'So it's magic?' asked the pig, amazed.

Con saw Tornei look at him then back at the pig. 'Yeah. Dunno how magical it is. I only just got it.' the pig put the ring in his pocket. 'Follow me.' he said and he led Con and his wife, even though we're not married, to a boat.

'Since this stone is magic, you can have one with beds.' he said.

'Thanks,' said Con and he and Tornei climbed onto the boat.

The beds were clean enough, though there seemed to be a permanent smell of vomit.

'I gave you that ring.' Con said, after settling down.

'I know. But I had to give him something.'

Another pig- not Tornei gave the ring to- came down. 'We'll be able to drop you off at Fayvale. No further.' he didn't stay around to wait for a protest.

'It'll be fine.' Con said. 'Fayvale is right next to Berkeville.'

'I wish I had got a sapphire instead.' Con mumbled.

'Emerald made sense. I was born in May, not September.' said Tornei.

It soon became dark and Con was hungry. It seemed Tornei was, too. His hunger made him tired. He swirled Tornei's hair around his fingers and he noticed that it had been cut. 'Who cut your hair?' he asked. Tornei pushed herself off his chest. 'The elves. The ripped the bottom of my dress and since my hair used to reach the floor, I kept falling over it. Corym asked how I walked and you guard that you killed said I kept tripping over so as part of my humiliation, he made another guard cut it.'

Con froze at the word humiliation. 'What else did they do to you?' he asked, he needed to know.

Do I want to know?

'They ripped my dress because it was already ripped and dirty. I had it hold it up before it all fell down.' she looked on the verge of tears now. 'I don't think my breasts had ever felt worse pain.' she added, Con could see the tears sparkling in her eyes, but she managed to laugh, slightly.

Con reached up to cup one of her breasts in his hand. 'Does it still hurt?' he asked, looking her in the eye. He could hear the slight change in her breathing.

'Only now and then.' she said.

Con moved his hand from her breast to her stomach. There still wasn't much of a bump yet but Con new how swollen her stomach would grow. He thought of his other three cubs- they were still cubs, no matter if his oldest was fifteen- and it sunk in that he had missed six years of all three of his children's lives. He pushed himself down and kissed Tornei's stomach and then lowered her on to him. 'I won't miss one moment of this ones life.' he whispered into Tornei's ear as the boat shuck slightly. Tornei hummed in agreement, obviously suddenly too tired to form words.

He heard both of their stomachs grumble at the same time and Con wondered if his children had been getting fed while he was away or if the lie Tornei had said to get the boat was true after all...